Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

Advanced Laser Technologies for Interferometry 

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) laser oscillator package
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) laser oscillator package

Developing Ultra-Stable Laser Systems Set to Revolutionize Gravitational Wave Detection in Space

ETD’s Instrument System and Technology division team is developing ultra stable and low noise laser systems to measure gravitational waves in space starting with the laser transmitter for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. LISA consists of three spacecraft that are separated by millions of miles and trailing tens of millions of miles, more than one hundred times the distance to the Moon, behind the Earth as we orbit the Sun. These three spacecraft relay laser beams back and forth between the different spacecraft and the signals are combined to search for gravitational wave signatures that come from distortions of spacetime. A giant detector the size of the Sun to catch gravitational waves from orbiting black holes millions of times more massive than our Sun. NASA is a partner in the European Space Agency (ESA)-led mission, which is scheduled to launch in the mid-2030s.

The Advanced Laser Technologies for Interferometry capability is managed by ETD’s Instrument System and Technology Division (Code 550). Contact ETD for more information.